Black Tie Affair
by CliffieMaster
Summary: He calls, she answers, and not everything is supposed to be predictable. ::ReTi:: One-shot


Cliffie: Another Reno/Tifa one-shot! Takes places after Advent Children; there's no particular time. Um… to be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure if the rest of the Turks (excluding Elena, Rude, Reno, and Tseng) are still with Rufus; we don't see them in AC, after all, and I haven't actually beaten FFVII yet. So… I'm flying blind here. But if the other Turks have left, then please consider me stretching things a bit in one aspect of the fic. . Also, there's slight Elena/Tseng. Only slight, though.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children, or any of the characters. This is for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

Tifa was exhausted.

It had been another rowdy night at the bar. It was the third time this week a fight had broken out, and she was getting damn tired of it. After having to literally come between the two combatants and stop them from breaking any more of her furniture, she had collected quite a few bruises, including one on her cheek. Her limbs felt like they were filled with lead; she wanted nothing more than to retreat to her bed and sleep. First, however, she had to clean up the bar and gather all the pieces of broken furniture, make an inventory of what, exactly, had been destroyed, and put all the liquor and glasses away. By the time everything was finished and relatively clean, it was well past midnight and she could have cared less if Kadaj himself had come into her bar; she was going to bed and not coming out until she couldn't sleep even a wink more.

It really was too bad she forgot to turn her cell phone off.

She was actually under the covers, pajamas on and half-asleep, when her phone began to ring. Tifa's eyes snapped open, and she gave a poisonous glare to the thing, which continued its obnoxious noise, ignorant to her narrowed eyes.

With something akin to a snarl, she reached out of the nice, warm covers and grabbed the devil-thing, flipping it open and pressing it against her ear. Instead of a customary, polite greeting, she growled, "This had better be good."

She had figured it was Cloud calling her. He did that often enough, oblivious to how it really hurt, sometimes, for him to depend on her in some ways and then not at all in others. It wasn't Cloud who answered her, however.

"Whoa, babe, wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

Tifa froze for a minute, her breath stilling in her chest. Then irritation swept over her, erasing the momentary shock. "I haven't been able to go to sleep yet, Reno," she said through tightly gritted teeth, "so I can't wake up on the wrong side of the bed."

"What, you're only going to sleep now? It's three in the morning!"

"Which begs the reason as to why the hell you're calling me now."

She hadn't heard from the Turk in almost a week. After Geostigma, he had stopped by 7th Heaven often enough, drinking too much whiskey and never paying her, saying only to "put it on his tab." They got along relatively well, with pleasant conversations that were always interspersed with jokes and teasing that neither really cared about. He never called her, however. The only exception had been Geostigma and Kadaj and his brothers. Now, still tired and wondering if this was a dream, Tifa couldn't help a little fear that crept along her spine. Was something seriously wrong again?

_No no no._

She didn't want something like that to happen again. She liked her life the way it was; she liked the calm. She didn't want another life-or-death situation. She was tired of having the world partly on her shoulders.

"Okaaaay, I see you're not in the joking mood."

"Reno, what's wrong?" Her voice was tense, scared. She could feel the chill begin to creep over her, settling like ice in her gut.

"Eh? Oh, nothing, really. I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to help us with a job."

Tifa froze, then slowly relaxed. Anger returned, melting the ice. "Reno, are you seriously telling me you called me at three in the morning to ask for help on a _job_?"

"Um… yeah? I would have waited, but I kinda need an answer now, because otherwise I have to find someone else."

She rubbed her forehead, tried to breathe evenly. It would not do to break the phone, she told herself. It's not the phone's fault. She would, however, break the redhead next time she saw him.

"Why do you need my help?" she demanded. "Isn't this a Turk job? So why get an outsider involved?"

"Ah." She could hear him shifting uneasily. "Well, that's not my fault. See, we're missing half out people right now. 'Lena and Tseng are on their honeymoon, and I don't want to bother them. Tseng would kill me. Now that I think about it, 'Lena probably would to."

"Reno!"

"Right, right. Sorry. Even with them gone, we would have enough people… if they weren't on other missions. We kinda got jammed, and now it's only Rude and myself. And we need a third person badly for this. And, well, we thought you might be willing to help us."

"Why? Why would you think something like that?"

"Obviously because you're kind and wonderful and would do anything for your ol' buddy Reno, right?"

Tifa gave a heavy sigh. "Don't bother trying to sweet-talk me, Reno," she informed him, slightly more calm. "I'll decide based on the job and the reason behind it, not because of whatever you're trying to honey-coat."

There was a short laugh. "Same old Tifa. Willing to do practically anything for the good of the world."

She rolled her eyes and muttered something darkly under her breath that Reno couldn't quite catch. He didn't ask her to repeat, however. He had the feeling he didn't really want to know whatever she was saying right at that moment.

Then, with a sigh, she wearily said, "Tell me what this job is about."

"Hey, great! You'll do it then?"

A brief flit of panic raced through her. "I didn't say that—"

"This really is to help the planet! You're the best, Tifa! I'll be there to pick you up in ten minutes, okay?"

"Wait, Reno, don't—"

The phone went dead, and Tifa cursed, slamming her mobile down angrily. Then, still cursing, she threw off her covers and scrambled out of bed, already reaching for her clothes.

000 000 000 000

It was cold outside.

Tifa sat on the curb before 7th Heaven, arms around her knees and head wearily pillowed of them. She was dressed and presentable, although shivering and unhappy. Edge was quiet: not that many people were out at three-fifteen in the morning.

A car approached, stopping right before her. Tifa didn't bother to move, sourly thinking that Reno could get her on his own.

"Hey, Tifa!" Reno greeted cheerfully as he exited the car and approached her. "Sorry I made you wait."

To which the bartender promptly replied with, "I hate you."

The Turk chuckled and squatted down before her. "Now now, don't say things that are untrue. Come on, let's get going. We're on a limited time frame here."

Tifa raised her head reluctantly, giving him a glare to show just how unappreciative she was of his offer. She found herself facing an open grin and a hand. Rolling her eyes just a bit, unable to stay really mad with that grin, Tifa grabbed said hand and let Reno haul her to her feet. "I still hate you," she added, but it wasn't quite as vehement as before.

Reno, however, was staring at her strangely. He reached out with one hand, and, before she could jerk back, brushed his fingers lightly across her cheek. His touch sent a spark of electricity through her, followed by a small throbbing.

"Why do you have a bruise on your face?" His voice was odd as well.

"Because I broke up two drunks fighting," she replied. "It's no big deal. I get bruises all the time."

Reno didn't let up on his scowl. "Don't you have a bouncer or anything?"

She wanted to snort at the absurdity of it, but refrained at the last moment. "I am my own bouncer, Reno. Now, are we going to go or not?"

His protectiveness over her was strange and awkward, and Tifa hated dealing with new things, especially from guys who were confusing enough, such as Reno.

He held the door open for her, which earned a slightly startled look from Tifa. He gave her a grin, smooth as always. "I can be a gentleman when I want to," he said, somewhat reprimanding.

She gave him a small smile and slid into the car. It may very well have been the smallest car she had seen: it could only fit two people, although it didn't feel cramped, really. It was leather, sliding smooth on her skin and slightly cool to the touch. "Nice," she commented once Reno was in the driver's seat. She gave him a slightly wary look. "You _can _drive, right?"

"Don't doubt me so much." He put the car into gear and quickly shot off, earning a small gasp from Tifa. He chuckled, somewhat evilly, and slowed down the slightest bit. "Not a fan of speed?" he asked, casting a small glance her way.

There was a challenge in his voice, and Tifa instantly rose to it. "I'm fine with speed," she said. "It's the suddenness that throws me off. Now are you going to tell me what this job is about or not?"

"It's simple," Reno said with a shrug. "We found a small company trying to harvest energy." He didn't say, "Like ShinRa used to," but it hung heavy in the air. "These places pop up every now and then. It's damn annoying, but what can we do? We can't keep tabs on everyone constantly. So when these people appear, we stop them. Simple as that."

"All right… but why do you need me?"

And he looked at her, a feral grin blossoming on his face. Her stomach dropped, just a bit, and she wondered if he really was just that sexy.

When had she started to think of Reno as sexy? She couldn't remember. Perhaps, in a subconscious part of her brain, she had always thought so. Now, however, was certainly not the time to deal on such thoughts.

"It's easy as pie, what you have to do," Reno said in a drawl, obviously enjoying this.

"What is it?" she demanded again.

He took his eyes off the road for a second again, the full power of his grin hitting her so hard she almost didn't hear his reply.

"Run."

000 000 000 000

Tifa stood by the car, hidden in the shadows, and stretched. Her muscles were already aching from the long day; this would be no fun task. Slowly, trying not to groan, she slid down to the ground, one leg in front of her and the other behind. She reached forward with both hands, fingers outstretched to grab her foot. Her back ached, but she stubbornly held the position for a few seconds before switching legs and doing the same. She stood again and gently stretched one leg far out in front of her, feeling the joints creak and tendons slowly relax. Then came the other leg, and she could hear Reno muttering something from behind her.

"Aren't you done yet?" he asked, exasperated, when she leaned down to touch her toes.

Amused by his impatience, Tifa straightened, shook her arms out, and faced him. "Sure, why the hell not? Where am I supposed to go?"

Decoy. She couldn't believe she was actually agreeing to be a _decoy_. It made her feel… small. Small and powerless. It was suddenly lucky that she had kept up with her training even after Geostigma. She was fit, that was for certain. She was strong, and she was fast. But Reno had warned her that these men would be stronger and possibly faster, and definitely merciless, and that made her a bit nervous. Not afraid, because she had faced so much worst in the past, but nervous. The adrenaline pumping through her veins was as strong as whiskey and more of a high than any drug she knew of. Reno said she would be fine; she wasn't sure if she believed him, but it was too late to back out.

Reno came to her side, leaning down slightly to whisper into her ear, "Ready?" His breath was warm and distracting.

"Yeah," Tifa replied. She cracked her knuckles, more out of habit than anything else. "Let's get this over with." The sooner she started, the sooner she finished and could go to sleep… although, admittedly, she no longer felt the drag of fatigue in her bones.

Taking a quick breath, she started forward, eyes flickering constantly. It was habit to keep them moving. Her muscles were tense, like coiled springs; she hadn't felt this exhilarated in weeks.

The men she was supposed to distract in order for Reno to infiltrate the mansion came into view. They were large, but not exceptionally so; they would be able to run, then. That would make her job harder, but it was still doable.

One more breath, and she sauntered up to them, hips moving a bit and a sly grin on her face. She knew she looked coy, even sexy perhaps. That was what she was aiming for.

"I'm sorry, this place is restricted," one of the men said, a slight frown on his face. He kept glancing from her face to her chest, and Tifa resisted the urge to self-consciously cross her arms.

"Oh, don't I know it," she said smoothly, still grinning. "You're trying to harvest energy here, right?" The look of shock on their faces was supremely satisfying. "Yeah, I know all about that. So does my friend, who's probably taking out your men at the back entrance as we speak." There was panic, now, and fury. And it was true: Rude _was_ at the back. Laughing, Tifa held up the remote control Reno had given her. "The minute I press this button, the entire west side of this place goes." It was a lie, of course, but she was a very convincing liar.

One of the men, growling, raised his gun. Tifa paled slightly but didn't let the smile slip. "Catch me if you can!" she taunted. Then, praying her reflexes were as good as they used to be, she took off running.

There was one gunshot, then the men were running after her. She heard one on his cell phone, yelling about an intruder and how they needed to catch her.

She had forgotten how good running felt. Stretching her legs out to their limit, her feet pounding on the ground and raising small puffs of dust, she tore down the path that wound around the entire mansion. The men were close behind her, huffing slightly and cursing vehemently. She chanced a small look over her shoulder to find them uncomfortably close. Panting with the effort, she lengthened her stride and sped up, darting off the path at the last moment to enter the sparse woods that surrounded the mansion on two sides.

Underbrush dragged at her feet, scrapping her sides and catching strands of hair. Tifa ran on, regardless of this all, knowing she had to reach the small clearing Reno had described to her.

She was nearly there when a third man appeared, gunshots loud in the silence of the woods.

Tifa fell to the side, rolling away from the bullets, and climbed to her feet too late. The men surrounded her, pinning her in. She growled, frustrated, and settled into a crouch. Well then, she would just have to work here instead.

"Winner gets the remote," she announced, holding it up so it was clearly visible, then slowly placing it near her feet, next to a small stump and patch of moss. Not that it mattered, of course. Then, grinning slightly, Tifa threw herself forward.

The first bullet grazed her upper arm; the second missed her face by only a few inches. Her first kick knocked one man out cold, and her second was caught by a strong arm. She immediately fell back, dropping to a crouch to avoid any bullets. One leg swept out as she balanced on her hands to knock the man's feet out from under him. With a dismayed cry, he fell heavily. She rose, smoothly and quickly, and drove her fist into his gut. He gasped, shoulders rise instinctively, and her third hit knocked him out.

There was only one man left now. She rose, facing him squarely, and he paled slightly. The understanding that she was dangerous – more dangerous than he could ever know – made the man's face pale. He raised his gun; it was shaking. One kick sent the gun flying; her punch broke his nose and sent blood spraying across her arm. She knelt above him, her breath coming quickly from exertion. "My apologies," she whispered before slamming his head into the ground. His eyes fluttered close, and her job was done.

She picked up the remote, then began the trek back to the mansion, reluctantly pushing her exhausted body into a jog. It was only halfway there that she realized her arm was throbbing dully. A glance showed a bloody scrap from the bullet that had grazed her. It didn't hurt particularly, at least.

She reached the front gates just in time to see the mansion go up in flames.

A soft gasp, somewhat appreciative, escaped her lips. _Well… if nothing else, they certainly do get the job done._

"Oy, Tifa!"

The car screeched as it stopped and Reno flung open the door. He was in the passenger seat now, with Rude behind the wheel. The bald man gave her a brief nod, a slight smile on his lips. She had always liked Rude especially; he was calmer than the others, but not cruel in his quietness. Severe, but kind.

"Get in," Reno ordered. "We need to put some distance between us and this place. Rufus has us do many things, but they are hardly ever drawn back to us, which is what he prefers. So let's get going."

Tifa took one step forward before realization hit her and she stopped dead in her tracks. She fell back slightly, rocking on her heels and torn between blushing and scowling. She settled for both. "There's a small problem with that," she said tensely.

Reno frowned, obviously not understanding. With a soft sigh, Rude interjected, "There's not three seats, Reno." His tone obviously said that he believed Reno to be an idiot, which really wasn't far from the truth.

Reno made a small noise, rolling his eyes. "Then she just has to sit on my lap." The small smirk that threatened to overcome his face clearly said how much he didn't mind.

Tifa blanched, taking a small step back as a fierce scowl stole over her face. "No way in hell," she spat.

Reno turned to her, his grin widening. "Ah, come on, babe, I'm not gonna bite."

"No."

Rude decided to come between the two then, knowing that their argument could go on for ages with no solution. "I apologize," he said, somewhat hurriedly. "There isn't, however, any other solution. You can't walk back; it's too far and it's night." He cast a small glance over his shoulder, to the burning mansion. "In a minute, there are going to be some very angry businessmen on our tail, and the more we linger, the harder it'll be to lose them. Please, Miss Tifa: just get in. If he does anything, you have my full permission to knock him out cold."

"Hey!" Reno protested.

Tifa hesitated. "I don't—"

"Oh, just get in!" Then, before she could say a single thing, Reno half got out of the car, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in before she could even raise a fist to punch him. There was a brief mess of jumbled bodies, and Tifa found herself on a warm lap, an arm twined around her waist to keep her steady as the door slammed shut. She was positioned slightly turned, her legs pointed more towards the door than the front of the car.

Rude didn't wait a second longer but immediately gunned the car. They shot off, leaving the burning mansion behind.

Reno was warm, and soft, but she could clearly feel his muscled chest. He smelled good, too, although cigarette smoke clung to his jacket. Embarrassment flooded Tifa, so thick and strong she thought she would faint. "Let go of me," she growled, fidgeting slightly until she was sitting up more than leaning against him.

His arm loosened but remained wrapped around her. "Sorry, babe," he said, a slight chuckle to his voice. "Only comfortable position. Besides, I don't want you thrown into the dashboard or anything."

Her cheeks were burning and she couldn't look him in the eye. She pressed her lips together, as if that would take away the awkwardness. She sat as still as possible, trying not to concentrate on his skin against hers, or his breath near his ear, or the rise and fall of his chest. She tried not to think period, and it wasn't working very well.

"Hey, you bleedin'?"

Tifa blinked, looking at Reno for the first time since getting into the car. She followed his gaze down to her arm and gave a slight shrug. "Bullet grazed me. Doesn't hurt. The rest of the blood is from someone else." She redirected her gaze out the window, noting absently that they were drawing closer to 7th Heaven. _Only a few more minutes…_

Then Rude took a left, and Tifa shot him a dark glance. "Hey… wrong way, Rude." She tried to be gentle, kind, but she was so tired again…

Rude didn't glance at her; he kept his eyes firmly on the road, unlike a certain redhead. "Sorry, Tifa," Reno said before Rude could get a word in. "Since you were in involved, you need to report to Rufus too. Damn man and his reports." He snorted, obviously disgusted by the whole deal. "I'd let you go back to the bar, but Rufus would only make us go back out to get you, and I don't think either of us would be pleased with that option."

Tifa groaned, closing her eyes briefly. She thought about talking Reno out of the idea, but something about his voice told her it would be impossible.

"Where is HQ, anyway?" she asked.

Reno glanced at Rude, who shook his head slightly. "That's… confidential," Reno delicately said. At her glare, he continued: "I would tell you, really I would, but this is for your own protection. We've done a lot of things in the past, and will be doing a lot in the future, and we don't want to get you involved. The less you know, the better it all will be."

Tifa sighed angrily, but didn't bother protesting. "Whatever. How long will it take to get there?"

"…a while," Reno answered evasively. "Rufus is paranoid." He hesitated, then added, "You probably should be blindfolded."

"Oh, come on!" Tifa growled, turning slightly to give Reno an exasperated look.

He flinched a bit. "Boss-man's orders."

"Look, I promise to keep my eyes closed, okay?" The indignity of a blindfold was just too much. She wanted to walk away from this with some pride, after all; riding on Reno's lap was bad enough.

"All right," Reno conceded.

Feeling like an utter fool anyway, Tifa closed her eyes.

There was one ramification of this she didn't think of. With her eyes closed, the car warm with body heat, and the rocking motion of movement, her already-fatigued body immediately began to shut down. Her head nodded, her shoulders sagged, and Tifa was hard pressed to keep sleep at bay. After literally jerking herself straight for the third time, Reno sighed heavily and said, "Tifa, just go to sleep already."

She cracked one eye open to give him a small look. He swam fuzzily in her vision; was she really that tired? "I'm fine."

He snorted, arm tightening. "No you're not. So just lay back and sleep, all right?"

"No." She felt her cheeks heat up again. Dammit, why did she always have to be so easy to read?

"Tifa." His voice was a sigh, her name a prayer.

Something about the way he said her name broke her down. She sighed heavily, then tentatively laid back. Her back and shoulder were pressed against Reno, her head tucked into his shoulder. It was like she melted into him, and she couldn't say it wasn't comfortable. She kept her eyes tightly closed, not willing to know what expression he had on his face. It was probably a lewd grin, because that was Reno for you. Still, he didn't make any comments, or try to grope her, or anything else. He just sat there, holding her gently, and the lull of the car slowly began to rock her to sleep.

"Oranges."

She blinked, eyes opening for the briefest second before she remembered she had promised to keep them closed. "What?"

"Your hair. It smells like oranges."

It was such an innocuous, sweet comment that Tifa couldn't help but smile. She had never thought of Reno as sweet. In all her years of knowing him, he had either been her enemy, a drunk at her bar, or a semi-friend who couldn't keep his comments to himself and who said something perverse at least once every time she saw him. This Reno was different. Perhaps he was simply tired. Or, perhaps, he was just as uncomfortable as she was but didn't know what to do. "It's my shampoo," she said, not at all harshly. "Like it?"

And Reno chuckled softly. "I do."

Tifa didn't know quite what to make of this strange conversation, but she did know it didn't bother her like it probably should. She let it fall away, thinking only of how Reno smelled like cigarettes and something else she couldn't identify, but it was nice, still. His breathing was regular, calming, and she could faintly hear his heart.

It was to those things that she finally drifted off to sleep to, surrounded by softness and warm arms and no longer bothered by anything at all.

She woke once, briefly, when the car stopped and Reno picked her up. Her face was pressed into his warm shoulder, and sleepiness was still eating away at her, so she didn't move except for a slight shifting and a soft murmur. "Go back to sleep, babe," Reno whispered. She was too tired to reply, so she settled for snuggling closer to Reno.

Perhaps it was part of her dream, although that didn't make much sense, because why would she dream about such a thing? But the fact remained that, after Reno had set her down in a bed and pulled the covers up to her chin, she thought – or dreamed – that Reno leaned down to press a butterfly-soft kiss against her forehead. But then all thought was washed away as sleep dragged her back down again, and Tifa fell into comforting blackness.

000 000 000 000

When Tifa woke, the afternoon sun was warm on her face. She shifted, moaned, buried her head in the pillow. Her bed was incredibly comfortable, and she didn't feel like moving just quite yet.

"Awake finally, are you?"

Tifa's eyes shot open, and she stared in shock at Reno. He was sitting in a chair near the bed, chin propped up one hand and grinning at her. Remembering what had happened last night, Tifa groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "How long have I been sleeping?" she asked, voice muffled. She tried not to dwell on how she had spent who-knew how many hours asleep in Reno's lap, but it was forefront in her memories and she was having a hard time trying to forget it.

"Mm, a few hours. It's one in the afternoon. Don't worry, Rufus doesn't give a damn either way."

Tifa sat up, wincing at her sore muscles protested. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and simply sat for a moment, looking curiously at Reno. He met her gaze for an instant before bounding up. "There's a shower over there," he said as he pointed to a door in the plain, simply furnished room they were in, "and I'll go get some of 'Lena's clothes for you, if you want. I mean, they may not fit," – his eyes darted to her chest, – "but we can give it a try, right? I don't think you want to wear those all day." He nodded to her outfit, covered with dirt and caked with dried blood.

There was a brief flash of guilt about getting the bedding dirty before Tifa nodded, knowing it was simpler that way. She didn't feel up to scolding Reno on being perverted so soon after waking anyway. "Sure. Thanks, Reno." It was amazing how accustomed she had become to clean clothes and a bath every day. Years ago, when journeying, she would have worn the same clothes for days on end with a bath every other day if she was lucky. She was getting spoiled, being clean constantly.

Reno winked and left, shutting the door firmly behind him.

She took a quick shower, using the shampoo and soap that was on the sink. The shampoo smelled vaguely like peaches, and she wondered if Reno had heisted this from Elena as well.

Once she felt clean, Tifa wrapped a towel firmly around herself and cautiously poked her head into the room, keeping her body hidden by the wall. No way was she going to let Reno see anything, even if she was mostly covered by a towel and had, in fact, worn a miniskirt shorter than said towel for more months than she cared to count. The room, however, was deserted, and she was able to safely retrieve her clothes and retreat back into the bathroom to slide into them.

Like Reno had feared, Elena's clothes were slightly too tight, though not even to cause discomfort. He had probably searched for the loosest thing, and, indeed, the plain blue shirt and ankle-length black skirt was obviously meant to be worn for pleasure, not during work hours.

She had just shut the bathroom door, now fully dressed, when Reno poked his head into the bedroom. He smiled when he saw her clothed and pushed the door open fully. "Ready to go give your report to Rufus?"

Tifa smiled thinly. "I don't see what the point of putting it off is."

He laughed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But see, if you put it off, you get to spend time with me. I know you'd love that, babe."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Let's go see Rufus, Reno."

But she didn't deny his statement, for some reason, and he noticed. With a widening grin, humming softly, Reno led her out of the room.

Ten minutes later, she was standing in front of Rufus's desk, looking down at him with a patient expression on her face. Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she absently noted that the young man was looking better. The lines on his face had smoothed, although the stern expression was still there. He might still be a manipulative bastard, but at least he was acting for good (mostly).

"Sit down, Miss Lockhart," he said, nodding to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Tifa did as she was told, crossing one leg over the other, and wondered if she should mention that the chairs were horribly uncomfortable. _On second thought… he probably likes it like that. _She wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

The report went on for an hour. Rufus was disgustingly hard to talk with, even when giving a simple report. He tried to twist her words, almost as if it was out of habit. Finally annoyed, Tifa straightened in her chair and snapped, "Hey, I'm not the bad guy here, so stop acting like I am. Get a grip and either believe me or stop wasting my time." She was not going to be controlled by a pompous man in a white suit, for goodness sakes!

Rufus blinked, obviously surprised, before his face relaxed slightly. It wasn't a smile, nor even close, but it was probably the least stern expression she had seen on him in quite a while. "Thank you, Miss Lockhart," he said simply as he closed the file of papers in front of him.

Tifa blinked, somewhat confused by the rapid change of conversation. "For what?"

"For helping us," Rufus replied.

Tifa relaxed into a smile. "No problem." She didn't say it was fun, because it wasn't, per se, but she had… rather enjoyed herself. It was nice to stretch herself like that again; she had missed the adrenaline rush, and cases like these were small, easily handled, and usually not life-threatening. She hesitated, staring at Rufus, then sighed. It couldn't be helped. "Call me whenever you need a bit of help," she said, grinning slightly.

Rufus didn't smile in return, but he nodded. "All right. Thank you for your offer."

Tifa rose and left the office, joining Reno who was waiting at the door for her. "So," he said, drawled really, as they began to walk towards the entrance. "Rufus behaved himself?"

Tifa smiled at him, remembering the gentleness of his arms and how comfortable she had been. The idea was strange, that she should be that comfortable with Reno, but she couldn't ignore it. The cocky jerk had wormed his way into her life until it wasn't strange for him to be there anymore. Tifa knew she should be upset, but she couldn't find it in herself to be angry or irritated. Instead there was a strange buzz of excitement flowing through her, rather like adrenaline. _Anything could happen from now on,_ she mused. The idea was exhilarating. If Rufus took her up on her offer, she would be seeing much more of Reno in the coming months, and she couldn't say she didn't look forward to that possibility.

"We came to an agreement," she replied.

He gave her a curious look, but she didn't explain. Let him be surprised the next time he saw her; it would do for a good laugh, and Tifa liked to be unexpected every now and then.

Reno didn't blindfold her on the drive back. Although she had the feeling she would be coming back often enough, Tifa followed their previous agreement and kept her eyes either closed or pointed down at the black leather of the car. Reno chatted away happily during most of the ride, and Tifa let him. She had grown used to listening to him talk at the bar, and she liked the sound of his voice, although she'd never admit it out loud.

When they finally reached 7th Heaven, Tifa found herself reluctant to leave the car. No matter what she might say otherwise, she had enjoyed herself. Being with Reno was just plain i_fun_/i. He knew how to laugh and joke and make fun of himself. He had hit on her remarkable less than she had thought he would. It was probably because of lack of sleep, Tifa told herself. She wasn't sure if she believed it.

"Thank you for everything, Tifa," Reno said, his door open and one foot braced on the floor of the car. He smiled at her. Not smirked or grinned, but smiled.

"Of course, Reno. Any time." She returned his smile, hands in her pockets. "Come by tomorrow and I'll give these clothes back to you." She had her own dirty, bloody clothes under one arm.

He was just about in the car when he paused and stuck his head out again. "Oh, and don't hesitate to call me if you ever need a bouncer."

Something blossomed in her chest: a warmth that flooded down her veins to infect every inch of her being. "Sure thing. Thanks."

The sleek black car drove off a second later, and Tifa slowly walked up the steps to 7th Heaven. The future was unknown, and she would doubtlessly be thrown many more curveballs. But she was spry. She could dodge them, or take them as they were. All Tifa had to do was keep on her toes and she would be fine.

And if another fight broke out in her bar… well, she might just call Reno. She couldn't help but think that to do so wouldn't be a bad thing.

No, not a bad thing at all.

* * *

Cliffie: Dude… I never thought it would become this long! I was thinking around 4,000 words… and I get over 6,000? Man! Not that I'm complaining, of course. I enjoyed writing it, embarrassing fluffy scenes and all. Hopefully Reno and Tifa were in character and hopefully it wasn't too much like "Dance Floor Prayers" (my other ReTi fic). There are some similarities I guess (mostly on how the characters act), but that really can't be avoided; one develops ideas on how a characters acts and reacts, no?

/puny defense

The romance was slight in this, but that was intended. I like alluding to things more in one-shots than out-right stating them (unless the one-shot is over 10,000 words; then anything can go). Full-length fics are a whole 'nother matter, however. One day, I shall get up enough courage to write a full-length ReTi. Until then, however, these one-shots and ficlets will just have to do.

ANYWAY, I'm done babbling now. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and thanks for reading! Reviews would be much appreciated. Thanks!


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